>> this is aljazeera america, live from new york city. i'm tony harris, with a look at today's top stories. >> i had no knowledge in this issue. >> governor chris christie said that he's not responsible for a traffic scandal that led to a federal investigation. a new commitment to tackle from the president, he said it's a year of action, and what his promise zones hope to accomplish. if. >> and no job titles, no bosses, why a company is putting all employees on the same level.

>> so what do we have here? a political revenge scandal? that's causing a massive headache for governor chris christie today, he is apologizing for lane closings on the george washington bridge in september, and now top prosecutors are looking into it, and the governor has fired a top aid who ordered closures. >> i took this action today because it's my job. i am responsible for what happened. i am sad to report to the people of new jersey that we fell short. >> christie went to fort lee this afternoon and offered an apology to the mayor of fort lee. he has accepted, okay, and that's changed. david schuster is here with the story. >> it's a remarkable day, and

chris christie avoided responsibility and took some of the blame. >> stepping before the microphones, governor christie was contrite. >> i came out here today to apologize to the people of new jersey. >> the governor said that he was embarrassed and humiliated to learn that members of his own staff sparked the closure in september of access lanes to the george washington bridge. actions that he said he never encouraged or authorized. >> i had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or it's execution, and i am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here. >> reporter: christie said that he questioned his staff last month about the remarks of a democrat who said that it was a form of parallel retribution. >> i told them that in an hour

i was going to go out in a press conference and if no one gave me other information to the contrary, i was going to say that no one on my staff was involved in this matter. >> reporter: christie and just that, calling the allegations a few weeks ago absurd. >> i know you guys are obsessed with this, i'm not. >> reporter: but emails made public on wednesday revealed that bridget kelly, christie's deputy chief of staff had written an email, saying time for traffic problems in fort lee. >> there's no justification forever lying to a governor or person of authority in this government. and as a result, i've terminated bridget's employment immediately this morning. >> reporter: christie also said that he asked bill stepien, another close adviser involved to not seek the chairmanship of the state republican party.

>> i am responsible for what happens under my watch. good and the bad. and when mistakes are made, i have to own up to them. i take the action that i believe is necessary >> reporter: and the actions included traveling to fort lee to personally apologize to the mayor and leaders and citizens there. the mayor spoke after the meeting. >> there were assurances that this won't occur in the future anymore. >> reporter: meanwhile, prosecutor, paul fishman said that his on office will consider a agreeing investigation. and they are starting to get testimonies under oath. he went to high school with christie and carried out lane closures from christie's staff. >> reporter: i certainly have the right to remain silent. >> all this as christie is

considering a 2016 presidential campaign. >> reporter: you don't want your team to be closing up traffic, but i thought that he took control and he handled it better than i expected. governor christie said that he will testify under oath. and his future may rest in front of the grand jury. >> an investigation, and what are we up to, 1, 2, 3 now, right? and earlier, i spoke with aljazeera political contributor, michael shore, about the scandal and conduct within christie's inner circle. >> reporter: one of the curious things, tony, about all of this, this woman who worked for him, bridget kelly, who was fired today, something about bridget kelly made her think that her boss would be happy with this. >> would you dive in on that? that is the point that i keep coming back to.

as i was listening to the news conference today and talking to the folks in the newsroom. he's a tough talker and has an image of being a straight shooter, and i wonder if he has drawn people into his organization who feel the way he feels, and behave the way he behaves, and if an environment has been created where something like this can take place and flourish? >> yeah, you know, what i would say, i'm not sure it's the environment that's created. but he even said. and i'm not quoting him exactly. he said either tight knit or close-knit, what the exact group of people was, but if someone in his close-knit group had liked what she had done, then there's something about this whole administration that's untoward. and that's up to the people of new jersey. we can't talk about the elephant in the room, maybe not the best

metaphor, but is 2016. and so he's going to be judged again, not just by new jersey or the media, and not just by the people of fort lee, new jersey specifically. but perhaps people in iowa. so he had to get out there today, seem truthful and be forthright. but he has to back that up with the facts, and the facts have to show that he knew nothing about it. >> so finish those in the country looking at him as a potential nominee for 2016, did he buy himself some time? did he help himself with the performance today in lieu of what comes out of these investigations? >> you know, i'm not sure. i think time buys him time. and that sounds cute. but the point is, it's 2014. it just turned 2014, and 2016 is two years away, and he's not going to be running for a year and a half, if he is going to run, and we don't know that.

so he has some time, and there's a little bit of distance, but certainly, it's going to define him, because a lot of people in the country, whether it be republicans, are going to know him. and they're not going to know his great successes in new jersey as well as they know the bridge fiasco. and that's ultimately going to harm him. it's going to shake him. i think it will be easier for hillary clinton to shake benghazi, whether that's right or wrong, i think she has a body of work that the country is familiar with, and to a lot of people, chris christie is a successful oddity, but something different, especially for republicans. >> and you can put your finger on something like this, right? it's something easy to understand, shutting down the lanes. and that's easy to digest for everyone around the country. >> no question. that's what makes this so devastating for him if it sticks. there's not a paper trail and a

money trail. this is not whitewater. this is a high school prank, in essence. and it's so easy to follow that and see if a governor knew about it if that's what happens, and that's not what they're saying happened thus far, but someone close in the administration knows that. >> this is lighting up the internet. and maria is here with that part of the story. >> tony, the hashtag on the social media is brim gate. brid. and the politicians are reacting to it. debbie wasserman shultz: the democratic national committee put out this one: where is the traffic study we have heard. and they put out this one. >> but i actually was the guy

working the cones out there. you really are not serious. >> and i've made it very clear to everybody on my senior staff that if anyone had any knowledge about this, they needed to come forward and tell me about it, and they all assured me that they don't. >> so far the republicans have been quiet about the issue. no word from rand paul or tes cruz. tony, people have been tweeting about this all day. ten years after: >> yes, i bet there are a ton more out there, and glad you were able to get what you were

able to get. president obama has announced a new effort to combat poverty. calling for a day of action. the first of five promise zones, and these are areas in the country that need help to bounce back. san toneio, philadelphia, los angeles, southeastern kentucky, and the choctaw nation of oklahoma. the goal is to tackle poverty, expand educational opportunities, and access the affordable housing and opportunity. michael, i've been reading about this today. but it seems that these are enterprise zones of years ago. >> empowerment zones. >> yes. >> it's a different thing. and ever since the reagan administration, if you want to go back to the 50th anniversary of the war onty. on poverty.

if you go back, these are public-private partnerships, and they're all kinds of ways to invigorate economic growth and education, and try to eliminate some of the children that are born into these swayings -- as the president put it today, not the zip code that you are born it, but the strength of your dreams determines your future. it's part and parcel of the larger theme that he's going to be hitting again and again in the next weeks and months of the state of the union, and that's the growing income disparity in this country, and what he proposes to do about it. the president proposed it first in the state of the union last february, and several areas of the country came forward. and overall, there will be 20 of the promise dons in the first

years, but the first five recipients. back to the larger themes, the disparity in income between the rich and the poor, the president said that he notes a following of the partisanship in congress, and hope springs eternal. and the president spoke to that earlier today in the east room. >> we have to make sure this recovery, which is real, leaves nobody behind. and that's going to be my focus throughout the year. this is going to be a year of action. that's what the american people expect. and they're ready and willing to pitch in and help. this is not just a job for government, but this is a job for everybody. >> not so fast. however, there are conservatives in congress that have to vote on some of the tax credits. if you're a company that goes into one of these communities, you're promised tax credits if you hired the unemployed or the

under employed. or someone who needs an education. congress has to vote on that. >> mike mccarol at the white house. one of those promise zones is in southeastern kentucky. it's one of the poorest places in the nation. nearly half of the residents live in poverty. john is in kentucky, and have you had the chance to talk to the locals in the area? >> yes, i have, and a lot of the people are encouraged that this area will be designated as one of the promise zones. this is one of the poorest communities in the nation. we're talking about an eight county region in southeastern kentucky where the per capita income is roughly $30,000. 40% of the people live below the poverty line, and this has gotten worse because it's a coal mining community. people make their living off of mining coal. and with new regulations and changes, that industry, at least here, has really dried up.

so a lot of people who were making 70 or $80,000 are no longer making that kind of money. they're jobless, and looking for new work. and that has been hard. so with the promise zone designation, we'll see a $1.3 billion small business loan coming into the area, like the ones behind me, that are bored d up and looking to reopen, but it's bringing new industry to this community. >> what we need is for industry to come here. we have an available, trainable work force, so we need this promise zone designation, will incentivize the industry to come to this region and diversify. and that's the only way we go away from coal. >> it's one of the other things that we want to do here is start from the bottom. that's in high school and also the college level. the technical college level, and

really start diversifying the training and training these people so they can learn new skillsful that's something that the president said in his speech today. >> thank you, jonathan martin. the u.s. wants an indian diplomat to leave the country as assigns point to relations between the u.s. and india getting worse, she was the deputy counselor nil india, and she was arrested last night in new york city, accused of submitting false visa documents for her domestic help. and lying about the salary. she allegedly paid her maid about $3 an hour. and she was arrested and strip searched amid demands from new delhi that all charges be droppedty. >> president obama met before congress to talk about reforming the nsa. lawmakers said that he's gap

ling with issues on the phone data program. many of them oppose changes through the nsa's electronic surveillance program. edward snowden, the man who detailed the program, has been asked to testify before the panel committee. snowed , as you know is currently living in russia, is expected to appear through a video link, and no date has been set for snowden's testimony. coming up on aljazeera, changing the entire structure of your work so that no one is the boss. why some companies are treating all employees exactly the same. and it election like a scene from a horror movie. hundreds of dolls hanging from trees. why this bizarre display is such a hot tourist attraction.

>> how about this? it's a new management style that gets rid of bosses.

the corporate structure that works from the top down. underwood said that there are no job titles and no managers. the online shoe retailer, zappos, is about to give it a go, and one online retailer is already onboard. >> the offices at media may look like any other floor plan and start up. but things here are a little bit different. >> when a new employee joins, we have to be diligent of explaining the rules of the game that they're going to be playing with us. >> the company is run not as a tradition at hierarchy, but rather, it's a hallocracy. a system with no botses. the staff at medium about a year and a half ago. >> our employees feel like it's their company because decision making authority is not consolidated at the top. >> the employee, luke, liked the system. >> you have the authority to try

different things without having to go through the typical red tape in the offices. >> he said he and the others who work on user feedback on the site brain tomorrow together to fix problems, and without management to go through, they execute changes quickly. >> it's an ongoing process. it's not like a quarrel meeting where you throw everything on the pile. you're constantly evolving. >> there are unique perks to encourage employees. >> we have one that is pretty heavyweight. and it's to reward each other with stock options in the company. and it's pretty neat. and we have another which is giving each other virtual high fives. >> medium does have a ceo. but that's for the outside world. we were, the person responsible for assigning work spaces would be able to tell the ceo where to sit.

stanford professor and coauthor has studied the organization. he urges caution. >> you have to be careful with this. it sounds like a classic management fad, and let's see what it looks like in the organizations. >> online retailer, zappos' 1500 employees will soon be the largest group to give hallocracy a try. once it's adopted, the process may take some change. they will have to take time to learn the rules, but once they do, it should help customers using the service as well. >> it might trickle down to the consumers and they might realize that this is a better company than they thought. and their service will be increased drastically because of that. >> it may take a year to implement it. >> i spoke with brian robinson

earlier who cofounded the idea of holeocracy. >> it's a different system for alignment and accountability and control. and we don't just throw out those results. we just have a different system of getting there. so instead of top -down management hierarchy, delegating and so on, instead, there's a constitutional process that holds the power. there's an actual constitution that defines the rules of the game. and that defines processes whereby we break down the work, and who is accountable for control. and it's just a different structure than top -down management hierarchy. >> investors may be focusing on the big jobs report coming out on friday. but "real money's" ali velshi is looking at an entire different number. what are you looking at?

>> i'm watching people quit. this is interesting, everybody focuses on this unemployment rate. and i've been saying for years, since i had an afro i've been telling people, don't worry about the rate. there are more important things to talk about. i'm going to look at the number of people who have quit. the latest data is october of 2014. 2.4 million people in america voluntarily left their jobs, and that's up 15% from a year earlier, tony. the reason this is interesting to me, if you don't think, you don't think you can get another job unless you marry a bajillion air. so this is one of their extra signs that some people are feeling better about this economy. >> tell me about the numbers that we saw today, with the rebound, not as many homes are as underwater by the degree that they were. >> that's right, there are a lot of qualifiers here, and we get a

number from the place called realty track. they tracked the number of borrowers that owed at least 25% more than their home is worth. and they fell by 25 million. not that many people, down from 10.9 million last january. so that's another improvement that makes people feel better. they feel that one day they may get out from in fact that burden. >> i bought a house in atlanta as you know during one of the high markets. but it has taken this long for there to be some real signs of some relief here. >> but at least you can think it's going to happen. you're now within reach, and a couple of years ago, you may not have thought that. i'm going to be talking to a guy who makes sausage. you mentioned atlanta. this is a guy who was in the sausage business, and he has done so well that he exports

sausage to other countries, including brazil, which is a meat exporting country. brazil is a continue that makes sauce angs and i want to talk about export something sausage. >> oh, wow, can't wait. man, you keep it interesting. ali velshi, coming up at the top of the hour, and remember, we'll have full coverage of the december jobs report tomorrow. so make sure that you keep it right here at aljazeera america. after the break, chris christie has made a career of his straight talking, but has he crossed the line from straight talking to bullying in and the worm speaks again. we'll tell you what else dennis rodman had to say from north korea.

>> welcome back everyone. this is aljazeera america. new jersey governor, chris christie, today, he has fired a

top aid who allegedly orchestrated a massive traffic jam on the george washington bridge, who get back at a local mayor. one of the largest connect being new jersey to new york city, and christie said he knew nothing about it, and that's not how i does business. >> everybody in the country who engages in politics knows that, and on the other hand, that's very very different from saying that someone is a bully. because i am who i am. but i am not a bully. >> christie visited fort lee's mayor just a few hours ago, and the mayor accepted and has some reservations. >> i accepted his apology yes, i did. and i indicated that maybe it wouldn't be too productive to come up now, and i told the governor, this is not

disrespectful shall but wouldn't it be better to do 2 when this investigation is concluded but the governor pushed for the meeting and got it, but this is not the first time that christie has gotten himself in hot water for his political tactics, and john is here with that. >> we are left with nothing this evening but to believe the man. he's the governor of the great state of new jersey, and we take him at face value. and he's probably right. we know that he runs a very tight ship. it's not a human office. and we know that politics in new jersey is rough. rough everywhere, and governor christie has a reputation. on the one hand, he's a real charmer and everybody loves him, but at the same time, he can put

things in ways that gets people's backs off. >> straight talking is rare in politics, and chris christie has made a career out of it. his re-election speech was a landslide. >> people say, chris, thank you for being yourself. >> with president obama by his side, he was big hearted and bipartisan, talking in glowing terms about the the democrat ler days away from his re-election. >> i can't thank you enough. >> but some say there's a fine line between being a straight talker and bullying. one of these moves was to trim benefits, including teachers, and this was in the governor's firing line at a rally. >> do you want to put on a hoe and giggle every time i talk? i have no interest in answering

your questions. >> there are legs out there against the governor's bullying style. he has weighted out any suggestion that he has meted out opposition. opposition new jersey public radio had a one-on-one confrontation over the george washington bridge affair just a few weeks ago. >> i work the tones, and you really aren't serious with that question. >> some of that is endearing, because he comes across as a real person. if he gets a question that he doesn't like, he says he doesn't like it, and he's often funny about it, even if it comes across as somewhat insulting. >> now the governor has fired key personnel and says that he's embarrassed by the whole affair. >> the fact is that mistakes were made, and i'm responsible for those mistakes. >> but will that be enough to help an edgy governor who is now

sitting on the front row of the ticket to the white house for 2016. >> i'll answer the next question, what's your choice. >> overbearing, petty, those are the words that people are going to remember i'm afraid. and we wouldn't be talking about this today in the man wasn't literally the person most be the one to go head-to-head against hillary clinton in text 2006 if she runs. and now it's all being put on the line. everything. it's far from clear had a this is over. >> and it's far from clear that this is over because there are investigations. i have the notes here, the u.s. attorney for new jersey is looking into this, and there is a senate committee that's going to be holding an inquiry about this, and then the new jersey legislature in a week's time. >> you have the national and the local investigations, and all of

these people are going to ask governogovernor chris christie k under oath. and that's why it's so serious. >> but john, does he get credit today? for trying to get ahead of this? the scandal broke in the papers yesterday. and about 24, 36 hours later, here he is out front, saying mistakes were made, and not using that kind of passive language, right? >> the problem is, tony, there are investigations going on in trenton today. and people are already taking the fifth in order to protect their own credibility. governor christie did a great job today. and as long as there's no smoking gun, we're told by people very close to this situation, as long as there's no smoking gun with the people linked to this, he's okay. >> we haven't seen that kind of a blanket denial of any involvement in a long time.

right? >> and there's talk locally. the story has been rumbling locally for many weeks, and there's talk locally for impeaching him from the job that he won in november. so everything is on the line. >> and the job he won back in november hasn't happened yet. good to see you. >> president obama has launched a new effort to help millions of struggling americans, and today he launched promise zones in philadelphia, southeastern kentucky, los angeles, and oklahoma. and the goal is to lift these zones out of poverty. >> this is going to be a year of abs. that's what the american people expect. and they're ready and willing to pitch in and help. this is not a job for some. but everybody. >> that's a conservative think

tank, and it's good to have you back on the program. what are your thoughts on president obama's speech today? >> well, first of all, i commend the president for his interest in neighborhoods. i do think that neighborhood poverty is an important barrier to upward mobility. but i think it's unproductive for him to frame his policies in this inequality frame. i think that senator marco rubio had it right yesterday in rolling out his new anti-poverty agenda. saying that income level i equality. it's inequality in opportunity. so i don't think that it's opportune for him to wrap it around this income opportunity. >> what is the president proposing as fixes for that? >> what senator rubio talked

about yesterday was a enough overhaul of our anti-poverty policy, where he would essentially give primary responsibility for designing these programs to the states. he would bundle a bunch of federal programs together and send them to the states, and give them the flexibility to taylor their policies to local needs, which would allow us to experiment and see what works. the other aspect of it, that's paired with that, is this wage supplement that would help low wage workers to get an extra boost. >> what does that mean? is that something that would have to be signed off on by congress in >> ? >> it certainly would have to be signed off by the president. and wage supplementation would have to be built on the income credit. a program that provides a

refundable credit to workers, working hard and playing by the rules, but who don't make a lot. so it's a way to encourage work and to lift more people out of poverty. so i think that the senator's proposal is a real productive step. >> what's your basic, and i don't know if i hear a strong disagreement with what the president is describing today on these promise zones. don't they sound a lot like the promise zones, and the idea of targeting these neighborhoods t. doesn't it go back to the republican and democratic administrations? >> to an extent. the president has wrapped several policies together. several of which are the enterprise zones of conservatives in the past. and some are more about community development and investing in communities, a very different approach. i think the evidence of whether any of this is going to work out is a little bit picked, but it's

worth trying different approaches to see what works. >> thank you for your time. scott. pleasure, a senior fellow with the manhattan substitute. joining us from washington d.c., and always good to see you. the united states trying to stop the afghan government from releasing 72 detainees, and it poses a threat though the afghan president said there's not enough evidence to vict them. >> reporter: early last year, u.s. forces handed over control of their largest prison in afghanistan to the afghan authorities. in recent weeks, a roadway has erupted over 88 prisoners that the afghan government said they will release because there's insufficient evidence to dean them. today, karzai held a meeting with other figures who presented their evidence against them.

the intelligence figures had been looking into cases of the 8 help, as well as the review board. and they said that 72 of the 88 men have insufficient or no evidence against them, and recommended that they be released as soon as possible. this is likely to incense the americans who have been very vocal about this subject, saying that all of the men of the 88 are very dangerous, are responsible for attacks and killings of afghan civilians, afghan security forces in the country. and the afghans are saying that they have no evidence to suggest that, and they simply have to release these men. the americans are saying that they gave them evidence, and the review board does not have the authority to civil release people, and only a court of law in afghanistan should be doing that. there has not been a release date announced yet. but this is likely to be an extremely big rou between the two sides, who already have

deteriorating reeses. and this is much more intricate than that. and the americans may actually have the final say as to whether or not these men could be released. so this argument is likely to go on in the coming days. >> egyptian prosecutors say three of our aljazeera colleagues will be held for another 15 days. they have been detained for 12 days so far outside of cairo. they were accused of spreading lies harmful to state security and terrorist organization, and aljazeera has said that they are fabricate. >> . >> fidel castro has been seen today after nine months out of the public eye. this video of the president opening a cultural center in havana. he handed over four to his brother in 2006. dennis rodman apologizing

for a heated interview where he insinuated that kenneth bay was guilty. he said that he had been drinking. he went to phonecall income to celebrate kim jong il's birthday. >> it's like something out of a made-for-tv movie. corruption and controversy. a teenage girl said that she was raped and left unconscious in below freezing temperatures. and today, the man at the center of the case pleaded guilty to child endangerment. they collected evidence against him for years, accused of raping a girl at a house party when he was just 17. he said that it was consensual, but the family wasn't

cooperating. the famil not so fast. and now barnett will receive two years of probation, and a four month suspended jail term. in a tribute called 26 days of kindness, he wrote on facebook that his act of kindness would be to give his friends remission on each of those 26 days. and to make matters worse, it happened two months after he was elected. 20 first graders and six educators died in the massacre in december of 2012 envelope >> and then a 29-year-old man got released from a maximum security prison in abu dhabi after being locked up for the last nine months. one of these gangster thugs was using their cellphones to call fofor help and let's say that te

authorities were not happy about that. the local paper said that he was accused of defamele, though the paper said that it was fictional. and the final story is just too hot to handle, tony, and i mean quite literally. a woman says that a mcdonald's worker didn't put her coffee lid on right. and the coffee spilled and burned her, and she's suing the company. this happens 20 years after another woman sued mcdonald's for example the same thing. saying that she burned herself. it was settled for an undisclosed amount outside of court. and you just wonder. >> you wonder how many of these mcdonald's -- . >> 20 years, right? >> morgan, appreciate it, thank you. and the days of one dimension printing long gone now. 3-d printers are taking over

everything from shoes to handguns, and now food. we have the story from barcelona. >> it's a meal, but not as we know it. this is possible the future of fast food, freshly made straight from the printer. >> that's a specially designed place that we have. >> the rodiny, as it's known t. marks a new phase for the kitchen appliances. a dish like this pizza here is programmed, and then a short weight, and the meal of your choice is printed out. even capsules of fresh, processed ingredients, the point is to get people to eat food without much fuss. it's certainly not out of reach. if you can print your own meals, when it brings the term convenience food to whole new levels. >> it's an odd concept and odd technology, if you will, but at

the end of the day, it's a 3-d printer, and it's a kitchen appliance, and a technology kitchen place, but it is a kitchen appliance to make cooking easier. >> we put it to the test. >> 3-d cookies, get them right here. >> that's awesome. >> they print it out. but how is it done? it's good. it tastes like normal cooking. >> it tastes super delicious, it's really good. >> reporter: but for some, the idea is perhaps a little too radical. >> no? >> no. >> no thank you. >> reporter: it's from a printer? no, i don't trust it. >> reporter: printing a meal might take sometime to catch on. the foodini is still in the

preliminary stains. a dish would still have to be flavored and properly cooked and that's where human skill can't be premised. for other diners, the meal made by a printer might be hard to swallow. >> when we come back, forget about the simple stuff. as it's all about the gadgets. right? we look at the gadgets hitting the toy industry. and we take you to mexico, home to thousands of abandoned dolls.

>> you know, it used to be that dolls, matchbook cars and legos

were the rage at toy fairs. but no more. tablets and software are the things that it dazzle. craig unlocked his inner child for what could be this year's hottest items. >> remember when toys were simple things made of wood and plastic? most were manufactured in hong kong, and today the toy industry is a different beast. hong kong remains the epicenter of research and development. and china is where the toymakers go for manufacturing. china remains 75% of the global market, $29 billion. the forecast is an upper trend. bad news for the oppressed european and u.s.er market. >> china is here. but china is about to produce here, and you were and america. >> reporter: but even in china, rising manufacturing

overheads because of increases in labor costs and fluctuating currencies, are putting pressure on manufacturers. can and at the same time, retailers are demanding that cheaper products result in new toys, with technology designed for less. >> in the past ten years, you can never find a submarine for $54.99. you have to go for $250. but that's not something for the average mommy and daddy price. >> most companies at this hong kong toy fair say that they have been forced to reinvent themselves to survive. yet that might not be enough. >> if you are a big kid like me, then the assignment like this at the world's biggest toy fair in hong kong is help on earth. but if you're a manufacturer for developer, them this toy fair will be make or break.

to make the toy for 2014, chances are it will involve a smart phone or tablet and involve software application that marries it with this. we're told that they're software application developers. parents are increasingly buying their children smart phones and tablets, and it's the realm of the so-called augmented toy designers. >> we started the project about three years ago, and it took about one year for the consumer to understand the technology to understand it. now we see the product is growing, and people are starting to ask features and functions of the toys. >> with the rising wealth of china's middle class, and the government recently announcing the relaxation of their policy,

china's domination is set to continue. and oh, my favorite toy of this year's trade fair? craig gleason, hong kong. >> from high-tech to spooky actually. a bizarre tourist attraction. in mexico. decapitated dolls. we take you to the island of the dolls. >> reporter: one of the biggest tourist attractions in mexico city. a welcome escape from the concrete and high-rises, where people can enjoy the same beautiful canals once used by the aztecs. these ancient waterways hold many stories. nowhere is that truer than here, in the island of the dolls. it looks like a scene from a horror movie. hundreds of dolls strung up and hanging from trees. his uncle started collecting these dolls 50 years ago after

he found the body of a young girl who drown on these shores. >> he found the dolls in the canals and the trash, and he started happening them up to protect him and to scare away the spirit of the girl. >> reporter: now every year, more and more tourists with morbid curiosity come to the island. people like linda flores. [ speaking spanish ] >> in mexican culture, there are a lot of legend about dolls. people believe that they can stop them from harming anyone. >> reporter: some of these dolls come from columbia and australia and russia. they have been brought here by visitors all over the world. and this is not the only frightening folk tail that has origins here. the or legend about a weeping woman, an indigenous woman who

drowns her own children in the canals instead of surrendering to the spanish conquerors. she has a long history. 17 communities, all of them have their own legend, and we have one legend about men turning into animals. >> >> reporter: the island of the dolls is not an ancient attraction, but it's one of the most bizarre, and the mystery surrounding the canals is very much alive today of. >> the polar vortex that brought brutally cold conditions to the u.s. and canada has had an impact even on niagara falls. the falls froze almost completely this week. the temperatures in the area fell into the symptoms, but the weather, however, didn't stop tourists from taking pretty cool photos. rebecca stevenson is up next, and then it's ali velshi and "real money" at the top of the

area. >> coming up on "real money." many americans are quitting their jobs has others are struggling to find them. that's a good thing for the economy. and a taste of success. with a sausage entrepreneur with flavor. all of that on "real money."

>> temperatures have been warming up very nicely in parts of the east. taking their time in some places, giving icy spots on the roads and in the midwest. but as we look at temperatures across the board, low 60s to the west. and look at this, 30° in new york, and 19 for membership minimum, but the warmer temperatures will be in grand forks, and that's a temperature warmup of 31°. now, as we see that here, thanks to the graphics popping in, we can see that we have big warmup into the north. impacting minnesota, up into canada as well. boy, those temperatures flew as we got warmer air moving into warmer air masses, moderating from a new frontal system coming

in from the west. it's not just one front coming into the west. it's several. in fact, we're going to be talking about mountain snow coming down 10 inches tonight. and 10 inches on saturday. and another 10 inches on saturday night. potentially even a foot. and that snow is going to be moving down into parts of wyoming, utah and nevada, and now northern utah has an avalanche watch in effect for the northern mountains. that does not impact your highways and ski areas. those are consistently treated and watched, and handled for any kind of avalanche concern. it's those out of bounds areas that we have to watch out for. when we get such different snow layers layering up in slabs. you can see the snow coming down right now in idaho, montana and we'll keep you up-to-date on this big storm coming up.

this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. new jersey governor chris christie has fired one of his top staffers saying she lied to him this coming after emails were leaked suggesting they planned a traffic jam in an act of revenge. >> i have had a tight knit group of people whom i trust implicitly. i had no reason to belief they weren't telling me the truth. it is heard breaking to me that i wasn't told the truth. i'm a very loyal guy. and i expect loyalty in turn. the president has unveiled his plan to fight the war on